1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to storage systems for liquid, and more particularly, to such storage systems which produce functional and efficient dispensing, preserving and handling of the liquid.
2. Related Art
The related art known to the inventors pertains to storage apparatus for liquid tissue culture media. This liquid may also be known as aqueous nutrient solution or liquid media. The application area for liquid media concerns the growing of microorganisms in a laboratory or industrial setting. The current technology includes a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bladder used for the storage, shipping, and handling of the liquid media. Representative of the current technology is the unit distributed by Tissue Culture Innovations (TCI) of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., for the storage of liquid tissue culture media. Tissue Culture Innovations currently sells liquid media in PVC bladders ranging from one liter to fifty liters. Various aspects of this particular PVC storage device will be discussed in the remainder of this section.
An important aspect of this example of the related art involves the deterioration of the contained media. The inventors discovered that liquid media exhibited rapid deterioration due to a carbon dioxide and oxygen gas exchange between the stored media and the external environment. The inventors have found that the conventional PVC bladder allows oxygen and/or carbon dioxide to pass through the walls of the bladder which reacts with the contained liquid media, thereby causing its deterioration and unuseability.
Another aspect of the TCI conventional PVC bladder concerns the dispensing of the liquid media from the storage bladder. The current TCI bladder provides a six inch PVC hose for filling and dispensing of the contained liquid media. This dual purpose hose is fitted with a reusable cap to be placed at the end of the hose. The flow of liquid media through the hose is controlled by a clamp which is placed on the hose to constrict it to closure.
Another aspect concerns the storage capacity of the conventional PVC bladder. In many applications, it may be desirable to have a continuous supply of liquid media. The dispensing hose of the TCI bladder provides no convenient method for interconnection with other bladders. It may be convenient, for example, to be able to serially interconnect several of the supply bladders to provide a continuous flow of liquid media, but this is not possible with conventional products.
Another aspect of the dispensing technique employed by the conventional bladders involves the ability to detect tampering of the contained liquid media. The reusable cap and clamp placed on the dispensing hose provide no means in which to detect whether the contained liquid media has been tampered with. Nor does the reusable cap and clamp provide a means to ensure the sterility of the contained liquid media.
Shipping and handling of the conventional bladder is also a problem. The conventional bladder is not easily handled. The current technology provides no convenient method for lifting and carrying the liquid media bladder. Efficient storage of the bladder is another problem with the conventional product. It may be desirous, for example, to be able to stack the bladder or hang it for storage or in dispensing applications, but this is not possible with the conventional technology.